News Center newsletter

To the Editor:

Let’s shop local.

Everyone is getting ready for Christmas. Let’s help our local businesses. We are lucky we have several new businesses, as well as our older businesses.

How many businesses have you never been in? Find out all these new businesses have to offer. I personally have been very surprised at what they have.

How many have never been at the Green House? They have nice yard and garden items. Take a look.

Go to Steel Cow and see the jewelry items that Val sells with her cow paintings; earrings, necklaces, small paintings, etc. Former Waukon people would like local artist creations. Take a look.

How many women have never gone to Sweeney’s to look for gifts for husbands and children? Toys, kitchen items, boots, shirts, winter wear. You will be surprised.

Gift cards at grocery stores, beauty shops, nail decorating, restaurants, hardware stores. Look everywhere.

To the Editor:

What does liberty mean to you? The dictionary definition of liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.

I wonder if Moms For Liberty have ever read that definition, as their whole premise is that of oppression and restriction. They worked with Governor Reynolds and Iowa Republican legislators to restrict the books our children and youth may read in school. They were instrumental in passing laws last session that restrict the rights of LGBTQ youth and pointedly singled out transgender youth and their rights. Moms For Liberty aren’t really for liberty, they are for undermining public education and communities.

To the Editor:

May this Christmas season be a blessing to everyone. The holiday season is an ideal time to see all of your family. This would be a great time to discuss a lot about your family.

What do you not know about your family? Do you know great-grandparents’ names, where they came from, what nationality they are, or when they arrived in America?

Today, young people seem uninterested in the past. If our senior people do not get family history recorded today, it may very well be lost.

There are all kinds of helps and research available to use, but first you need family names, places, etc. to connect to your family. Christmas is a good time to see the older generations of people and get names of parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and even where family lived and worked.

To the Editor:

Where should I start? There is so much wrong with our country. An ex-Democrat says the Democrat Party has the mentality of gangsters. Can Trump bring us back? He is far better than the lightweights that think they can. Trump is polling great and his four years as President proved that he is reliable.

I’ve been in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, two times in Dubuque, Waterloo, La Crosse, and I’ve watched his rally on TV. In all the rallies I attended, it was fun because all the people were so nice. The January 6 rally got out of control. I think the Dems had some very bad people planted in the crowd to start the misbehavior and then blame Trump, like what they tried with the fake dossier, bought and paid for by Hillary Clinton and the Dems. They tried to pin that on Trump and they spent millions of our tax dollars trying to pin Trump, who was totally innocent.

Yep, I agree with David Horowitz - the Dems have the mentality of gangsters.

MaryEllen Politowitz, age 83, of Waukon, formerly of Gays Mills, WI, died in her home December 7, 2023. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

MaryEllen was born August 21, 1940 to William and Eleanor Pettit. She attended school in Gays Mills, WI. October 1959, she married Marlin White, Sr. of Winterset and they had four children: Marlin Jr., Victor, Karen and Linda. Marlin Sr. died in 1966.

Later, MaryEllen married Edward Politowitz, Sr. of St. Joseph, MO. They had Edward Jr. and Sharon. Edward Sr. died in 1980. MaryEllen raised her children in the Gays Mills, WI area. In 1988 MaryEllen’s granddaughter, Tammy, came to live with her. Shortly after, they moved to Waukon.

MaryEllen is survived by her children: Victor White (Christine) of Rossville, Karen White of Kittredge, CO, Linda Paradine (Ronald) of McGregor and Edward Politowitz, Jr. (DeDe) of Cresco; 11 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren.

Mackay David Mathis, 32, of Harpers Ferry died Friday, December 15, 2023 from injuries sustained in a UTV accident in rural Harpers Ferry. Funeral services were held Tuesday, December 19 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser and Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating. Burial followed at St. Joseph’s Paint Rock Cemetery, Harpers Ferry.

Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials will be used to set up a scholarship in Mackay’s name.

Mackay David Mathis was born September 22, 1991 in La Crosse, WI, the son of David and Karen (Caballero) Mathis. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Ann’s-St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry. Mackay graduated from Waukon High School in 2010.

Peggy Ann (Walters) Pugmire, 74, passed away December 11, 2023. A funeral service was held Saturday, December 16 at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories in Cedar Rapids. Entombment followed at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.

Peggy was born February 26, 1949 at the Waukon hospital to Leon W. and Dorothy (Lloyd) Walters. Peggy graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids in 1967. She began her employment with Collins Radio Company.

She married James W. Pugmire at St. Matthews in Cedar Rapids. They started a general contracting company (Pugmire Quality Homes), where they sold and built prebuilt and conventional built homes, of which she was a partner while also retaining her employment with Rockwell Collins. She gave birth to Lisa M. Pugmire (Sherman). Peggy divorced in 1976.

The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) Holiday Train was greeted by large, enthusiastic and generous crowds at both stops it made in Lansing and New Albin Friday evening, December 8, as depicted in the surrounding photos. Those attending were treated to musical entertainment by performers Tenille Townes and BRELAND, along with other holiday activities put on by community members, businesses and organizations.

Lansing Women in Business presented “Light Up Lansing” Saturday, December 9 in the Main Street Plaza. The event included a visit with Santa Claus, a sing-along with Kee High School carolers, cookies and hot chocolate, food collection for Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT), and lighting of the Plaza Christmas Tree. The 25-foot tree (pictured at far left in the photo above) was donated by the Terisa Winters Steiber family and Harold Marks IV, in memory of Alan Steiber and Harold Marks III. Photo by Julie Berg-Raymond. View and find out how to purchase this photo and more from the “Light Up Lansing” event by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website at www.waukonstandard.com.
 

The annual Holiday Parade held in Waukon Saturday evening, December 9 brightened up the beginning of the holiday season in more ways than one as nearly 40 entries made their way through the city streets via a bit of a different route than in years past. Despite temperatures falling below the freezing mark and a chilly breeze blowing, a large crowd still lined the parade route, as evident in the photo of Main Street above. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more from the Holiday Parade by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage. A video of the complete parade can also be found on The Standard’s Facebook page at The Standard Newspaper, Waukon.